System and method for mitigating electromagnetic interference when acquiring image data

Abstract

A digital X-ray detector is provided. The digital X-ray detector includes control circuitry. The control circuitry is configured to obtain an electromagnetic interference (EMI) frequency of an EMI signal, to receive a signal to start a scan, to ensure EMI noise is in a same phase during acquisition of offset images and read images to enable a subtraction of the EMI noise, and to start the scan.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A digital X-ray detector, comprising:
 control circuitry configured to:
 obtain an electromagnetic interference (EMI) frequency of an EMI signal; 
 receive a signal to start a scan; 
 ensure EMI noise is in a same phase during acquisition of offset images and read images to enable a subtraction of the EMI noise; and 
 start the scan; 
 wherein the control circuitry is configured to obtain a respective EMI frequency of a plurality of EMI signals and to synchronize the scan based on the respective EMI frequencies so that a time of start for the scan is a multiple of each respective period of the plurality of EMI signals. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 1 , wherein the scan comprises a scrub to reset detector circuitry or a read to acquire X-ray image data. 
     
     
       3. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 1 , wherein control circuitry is configured to obtain the EMI frequency via receiving a user input of the EMI frequency. 
     
     
       4. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 1 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to obtain the EMI frequency by calculating the EMI frequency from one or more offset scans acquired by the digital X-ray detector. 
     
     
       5. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 4 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate the EMI frequency by extracting data from the one or more offset scans, performing fast Fourier transformation on a signal representative of the data, and determine if a frequency of a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the signal within a predetermined frequency range is greater than a defined frequency threshold. 
     
     
       6. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 5 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to set the EMI frequency as the frequency of the DFT when the frequency of the DFT is greater than the defined frequency threshold and to set the EMI frequency as zero when the frequency of the DFT is not greater than the defined frequency threshold. 
     
     
       7. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 4 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to calculate the EMI frequency by extracting data from the one or more offset scans, performing fast Fourier transformation on a signal representative of the data, and determine if a frequency of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the signal equals a specific EMI frequency. 
     
     
       8. The digital X-ray detector of  claim 7 , wherein the control circuitry is configured to set the EMI frequency as the frequency of the DFT when the frequency of the DFT equals the specific EMI frequency and to set the EMI frequency as zero when the frequency of the DFT does not equal the specific EMI frequency. 
     
     
       9. An X-ray imaging method, comprising:
 utilizing a digital X-ray detector to:
 obtain an electromagnetic interference (EMI) frequency of an EMI signal, wherein obtaining the EMI frequency of the EMI signal comprises receiving a user input of the EMI frequency; 
 receive a signal to start a scan; 
 ensure EMI noise is in a same phase during acquisition of offset images and read images to enable a subtraction of the EMI noise; and 
 start the scan. 
 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the scan comprises a scrub to reset detector circuitry or a read to acquire X-ray image data. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein ensuring the EMI noise is in the same phase during acquisition of the offset images and the read images comprises synchronizing the scan based on the EMI frequency so that a time of start for the scan is a multiple of a period of the EMI signal. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , wherein obtaining the EMI frequency of the EMI signal comprises calculating the EMI frequency from one or more offset scans acquired by the digital X-ray detector. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12 , comprising:
 acquiring, via the digital X-ray detector, X-ray image data with the scan; and 
 performing offset correction on the acquired X-ray image data with the one or more offset scans to remove any EMI related artifacts to generate a corrected X-ray image. 
 
     
     
       14. An imaging system comprising:
 an X-ray source; 
 a digital X-ray detector; and 
 control circuitry configured, via the digital X-ray detector, to obtain an electromagnetic interference (EMI) frequency of an EMI signal, to receive a signal to start a scan, to ensure EMI noise is in a same phase during acquisition of offset images and read images to enable a subtraction of the EMI noise, and to start the scan; 
 wherein the control circuitry is configured, via the digital X-ray detector, to obtain a respective EMI frequency of a plurality of EMI signals and to synchronize the scan based on the respective EMI frequencies so that a time of start for the scan is a multiple of each respective period of the plurality of EMI signals. 
 
     
     
       15. The imaging system of  claim 14 , wherein the control circuitry is configured, via the digital X-ray detector, to obtain the EMI frequency by calculating the EMI frequency from one or more offset scans acquired by the digital X-ray detector. 
     
     
       16. The imaging system of  claim 14 , wherein the imaging system comprises processing circuitry, and the processing circuitry is configured to perform offset correction on acquired X-ray image data with the one or more offset scans to remove any EMI related artifacts to generate a corrected X-ray image.